


your eyes betray

by beoluve



Category: Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: Family, Gen, Introspection, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2019-08-01
Packaged: 2020-07-28 10:54:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20062846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beoluve/pseuds/beoluve
Summary: While helping him with shopping, Nino asks her uncle what family means to him. Canas is surprised by the question, but not incapable of answering.





	your eyes betray

Though it was springtime in Ilia, there was still a light covering of snow on the ground. Outside of their house, a young mom was playing with her daughter, building a fort in the snow. Nino stopped to watch them for a minute.

Her companions thoughtful voice pulled her back to the chilly breeze hitting her face. “Hey, Nino? Oh..”

“Sorry, sorry!” She cast one last look at the family before running to catch up to Canas, who was waiting for her with a patient smile. He often invited her out when he went looking for material, and she liked coming with him! Even though all the complicated words in the books often went over her head. As they walked, she eventually spoke up again.

“Say, uncle Canas…” He turned his attention down to her. “How would you describe ‘family’?”

He seemed a bit taken aback, but the innocent sincerity in his niece's voice made him mull over the question. What was family to him? At first, he thought of the laughter of his son as his wife played with him. The happy looks on their faces as he returned. Then he thought of his brothers in their comatose states, and his mother who acted cold towards him, but fretted over the fact that one day he too may end up like them. The way her face crinkled when she offered a rare smile. Finally, his thoughts moved to the little mage beside him, and the way her face lit up as he taught her to read and how to practice the spells that she had learned. 

“I think… your family is the people whom you surround yourself with that truly love you as much as you love them.” Canas nodded after a long pause. “However, that isn’t something I can study in a book, so this lesson might not be one you can take to heart.”

“That’s how you would define it, hmm…”

“What about you? How would you define it?” He looked down at her expectantly. 

She frowned and scrunched up her nose as she racked her brain. Of course her most ready answer would be Sonia, but would that be a fair answer if the woman never felt the same way? She didn't even know her mother and father and brother. There were so many more people who genuinely cared about her though...The Reeds had welcomed her and treated her as if she was always part of them. She recalled how they always laughed and entertained her. She remembered how Legault and Jan and all the others in the Black Fang smiled when they met her and were always nice to her. She remembered how much it hurt when she had to fight against them and...Maybe it was best not to think on that any longer.

“I think that family is… those who are around you that make you happy and have a sense of worth. They don’t have to be related to you or even see you a lot. Because… because sometimes people who are related to you don’t act like a family should! And familial love stretches over distance and time!” Nino spoke softly at first but her voice rose in confidence. 

“Is that so? So I’m part of your family, right?” Canas gave her an innocent look.

“Of course! Why else would you be my uncle, silly?” She looked over to him with a grin of pure joy. He couldn’t help but smile back. He knew the idea of family was often a bit sour with her, though she wouldn't always admit that, her eyes often gave away a deep-rooted sadness behind them on the topic. But seeing her so happy and willing to talk about it made him feel like she had grown in the time he had known her. Just a little bit.

“Oh, dear. How could I have forgotten that detail. Now Nino, tell me…”

“What’s that?”

“What about your little red-headed boyfriend? Is he part of our family too?”

“Wh-what!” She nearly dropped the books she was carrying. “He’s not, um..”

“No? Well, according to my research..”

“Nooo!” Nino glanced at him as if pleading with him to stop talking. Canas couldn’t help but tease her. As they chatted and walked through the snowy streets, he couldn’t help but notice that the look of longing that had crossed her face earlier melted into something much more content, much more comfortable. Maybe that’s what family was to her. He wouldn’t claim to be an expert on feelings in any sense, but the way that she laughed and smiled when she was around someone she cared about spoke volumes. Family was who you carried with you.

**Author's Note:**

> i think the family dynamics surrounding nino are very interesting and wanted to bounce them off of someone who had a very different experience than her, but wasn't someone she was afraid to open up to. it's not a lot, but just a brief collection of some of the ideas, i may expand on it in another work.  
contains spoilers of course, and takes place before canas and his wife have a nice frosty trip into a blizzard.


End file.
